Hi Hiba, so please tell us a bit about yourself and your journey with big data and coding that got you here today?

Hey! I am a young passionate techie woman, from Morocco, North Africa. I hold a bachelor degree in Computer engineering and a Master of research in Data Science & Big Data. 

Before going through the computer science journey, I was keen on mathematics, but I was looking for a field where I can put on practice the theoretical background that I had in math. So I chose a computer science path.

Preparing my bachelor was a real ordeal!

Little by little, interacting with teachers and students on blogs and exchanging with the community all over the world became more fun, especially when we concretely obtained the result and the fruit of sleepless nights of debugging code and errors everywhere.

I remember very well the first time I made a website during my very first internship. During the whole intern period, I was like a zombie with all the errors that came out of me. .. but at the end, the result was very satisfactory. And that's how I decided that computer science is really my thing.

I was very lucky after that to integrate the prestigious school of computer science and analysis of systems in Morocco (ENSIAS), to be open to new opportunities and horizons in data science and scientific research. 

I started to attend conferences, workshops, I read several research articles, really had fun carrying out different projects on data science from image processing to social network analysis, machine learning, deep learning, data-warehousing …

During the pandemic, I took the opportunity to step back for a break and work on my soft and social skills, also to reflect more deeply on my career, my passions and how I could contribute and be an active woman in the field of AI vis-à-vis my community.

What do you like most about Data science and coding?

For me, a “perfect” Data Scientist is someone who has this mathematical-logical mind and that crazy coding-techie soul.

And this is what I love the most about this field! I mean, not only you will enjoy coding, debugging, and problem solving, but also developing great analytical and critical thinking capabilities. Also, if you have a STEM background and enjoy coding, you will definitely enjoy data science as well! 

Now, data science is the super star of almost every industry, going from agriculture, healthcare, to banking, eCommerce, sport, gaming, art, etc. 

While engaging in this domain, you will always have challenges to accomplish, new ideas, collaborations and contributions with your peers… And will never ever get bored while working! 

It’s like magic! You can imagine whatever you want, innovate as much as you can, and guess what, the sky’s the limit in AI. Yes! everything is possible. Taking the example of the mind reading Elon Musk’s latest project, which is something that we only used to see in fiction movies… Thanks to Data Science, Artificial intelligence, and human innovation, we will see more unbelievable things happening in the near future! And we are highly concerned to contribute and develop in our own way to join this phenomenal sparky growth.

What sources do you use to better prepare yourself for the future of work in the Tech job market? 

Joining in the tech field has never been easier and can even seem frustrating and difficult at first. But with passion, commitment and support, it is really worth it.

Talking about support and encouragement, IBM Z gives plenty of professional resources. For example, I have discovered something very special from two IBMers (that I’ve collaborated with organizing an event encouraging students in my community to learn more about tech skills). It’s about IBM Z Virtual Enterprise Computing Learning Journeys, which is a very exciting opportunity for everyone, and it’s free! I will definitely go for it, and spread the world around me about it. Check it out here! https://community.ibm.com/community/user/ibmz-and-linuxone/blogs/melissa-sassi1/2021/04/01/2-free-virtual-enterprise-computing-learning-journ 

How do you envision your future career in Tech? How will you use your tech skills for good and your tech career into improving your local community?

I am a longlife learner, and never get rid of learning new things every single day. Facing challenges in my daily life is enjoyable for me because I know that behind all this, I am achieving a great amount of learning that moves me forward. 

 I want to contribute in data science and tech ideally as a researcher, or working in a company, and in a diverse environment. I love what I do, and love working with passionate souls as well. 

My aim and main goal was always to bring value to my community and to the whole world. 

I prefer being a river rather than a water reservoir, constantly learning and growing in my field and spreading all those happy-techie vibes  to the world. I can’t see myself stopping from doing what I do, for whatever reason. 

After the global pandemic, learning is now becoming very accessible with all the online workshops/courses/conferences, etc. I am willing to share more about what I do and what I am planning to do with my local community via online sessions or workshops as a first step. And we’ll see what the future holds for us!

What platforms would you recommend to students looking to get into coding and computer science to learn from?

I highly recommend starting with books, to learn the basics of coding, algorithms and programming languages. After that, trying with one of the various existing online courses, IBM Z courses or badges for example on Coursera, or on DNA platform (for Africa). You can check the free resources on the Global Student hub of the Z community. read here for more!  

I will recommend first of all, to focus on one specific coding language and try to begin by small easy projects, and then look for open sources to contribute and so on, until achieving enough confidence about that language or topic. And as you grow in the field, you may be able to work on several things at the same time. 

Hackathons and competitions are another exciting and fun way to learn many new things and test your capacities. Talking from my own personal experience, this helped me a lot, from many aspects, I gained leadership, personal and new technical skills, grew my network, and most of all, I had a very fun time! 

Any last words you want to say about your experience as a female student?

At the very beginnings of my coding studentship life, it was tough being one of the very few passionate female students among my peers. 

I was feeling that I was giving all my best, but moving as a turtle. I figured out after that, that passion needs patience too. 

True that, there are more men in the field than women, but I think at some point, things are increasingly changing now. There are more role models in the field, which is very inspiring for young girls and students. There are also many communities for women empowerment in data fields, tech, analytics and many others. 

I personally joined many of them, and grew so much, felt more confident, and above all gained a wonderful network. 

As last thoughts, I can say your journey begins at the end of your comfort zone! Be open to every opportunity, learn as much as you can with passion and love, and have fun with it! Because nothing is more fun than a Tech career!